The festival day of Rosh Hashanah which coincided with Shabbat: they would blow [the shofar] in the Temple, but not in the [rest of the] country. After the destruction of the Temple, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai, ordained that they should blow in every place in which there is a court. Rabbi Eleizer said, "Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai only made this ordinance with respect to Yavneh alone." [The Sages] said [back] to him, "It was the same for Yavneh as for any other place in which there was a court."

And also in this [respect], was Jerusalem greater than Yavneh: every city, [whose inhabitants] could see [Jerusalem] and hear [it], and [were] near [to it] and could get to [it], would blow [the shofar]; but in Yavneh, they would not blow [the shofar] except in the court alone.

At first, the palm branch [along with its accompanying species] was held [and waved] in the Temple seven [days, meaning throughout Sukkot], and in [the rest of the] country one day. After the destruction of the Temple, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai ordained that the palm branch should be held [and waved] in [the rest of] the country seven [days], in commemoration of [what was done in] the Temple; and [also], that the whole day of the henef[the ritual of waving of barley sheaves which thereby permits the consumption of new grain] should be prohibited [regarding eating from the new grain].

At first, testimony regarding the new moon was received the whole day [on the thirtieth day of Elul which would then become Rosh Hashanah if the testimony was accepted; but as it] once [happened that] the witnesses delayed in coming, and the Levites confounded the Song [of the day at the afternoon sacrifice], it was ordained that witnesses should be admitted only until [the time of] the afternoon sacrifice, and if witnesses came from [the time of] the afternoon sacrifice and onwards, that day and the morrow would be treated with sanctity [as if the first day were also Rosh Hasahnah]. After the destruction of the temple, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai ordained that testimony regarding the new moon could be received the whole day [of the thirtieth of Elul once again]. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha said, "This too did Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai ordain: even if the head of the court would be in any [other] place, the witnesses need not go anywhere [else], but to the place of meeting [of the court]."

The order of the blessings [to be said during the silent prayer of musaf - the additional prayer service - on Rosh Hashanah is as follows]: one says avot [the first blessing of the silent prayer, which focuses on the forefathers], and gevurot [the second blessing, which focuses on the power of God] and kedushat Hashem [the third blessing, which focuses on the holiness of God], and includes malkhiot‎ [a series of texts relating to the kingship of God] with them, and does not blow [the shofar; then] kedushat hayom [the standard middle blessing, which focuses on the holiness of the day], and [then] he blows; [then] zikhronot [texts relating to the kind remembrance of God to his creatures], and [then] he blows; [then] the ‏shofarot‎ [texts in which the sounding of the shofar is mentioned], and [then] he blows [a third time]; and [then] he says, avodah [the first of the concluding blessings, which focuses on the service to God], and hodaah [the second of the concluding blessings, which focuses on thanksgiving to God], and birkat Kohanim ‏[the blessing given to the congregation by the priests, who are from the tribe of Levi and are responsible for the Temple service] - so says Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri. Rabbi Akiva said [back] to him, "If he does not blow [the shofar after] malkhiot‎, why is it mentioned? Rather, [the proper order is as follows:] ‎ one says avot and gevurot and kedushat Hashem, and [then] includes malkhiot with kedushat hayom, and [then] blows [the shofar; then] zikhronot and [then] he blows; [then] the ‏shofarot‎ and [then] he blows [a third time]; and [then] he says, avodah and hodaah and birkat Kohanim."

We may not have less then ten [verses] of malkhiot‎, ten of zikhronot‎ and ten of shofarot‎‎. Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says, "If one said three [verses] from each [category], he has fulfilled [his obligation]." We may not mention [verses] of zikaron, malkhut‎, ‎ or shofar, [associated with] calamity. One begins [the set of verses] with [verses] from the Torah and completes [the set] with [verses] from the Prophets." Rabbi Yose says, "It he completes [the set] with [a verse] from the Torah, he has fulfilled [his obligation]."

He who [stands] before the reading-desk [to lead the prayers] on the festival of Rosh Hashanah; [it is] the second one [who does so, in order to lead the musaf service,] that leads the blowing [of the shofar; while on a day that Hallel is recited, it is] the first one [who stands before the reading-desk, in order to lead the morning service,] that leads the reading of the Hallel.

[For the purpose of sounding] the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, we may not go beyond the ‏techum‎ [the area around a person or community within which it is permissible to travel on Shabbat], and we may not excavate it from a heap [of stones], we may not climb a tree, and we may not ride on the back of an animal, and we may not swim over the waters [to get a shofar], and we may not cut it; neither with any thing [that may not be used] on account of a shevut [‏restrictions established by the Sages regarding Shabbat to prevent violation of Torah-level Shabbat prohibitions, and to increase its sanctity], nor with any thing [that may not be used] on account of a of a negative commandment [of the Torah]. But if one wants, he may put water or wine into it. We may not prevent children from blowing, but [on the contrary,] we may occupy ourselves with them until they learn [how to blow the shofar]; one who occupies himself [by blowing the shofar without the intention to fulfill the commandment,] has not [thereby] fulfilled [his obligation], and one who listens [to shofar blows] from one who occupies himself [by blowing the shofar without the intention to fulfill the commandment, also] has not [thereby] fulfilled [his obligation].

The order of sounding the shofar is [that] three [sets] of three blows [are sounded] thrice; the required amount [of time] of the tekiah [long uninterrupted blow], is like [that of] three teruot [interrupted blows], and that of each tekiah is like [that of] three short blows [understood to be like sighs or cries]. If one blew the first tekiah, and prolonged the second, [so as to be] like two, he only has one [tekiah credited to him]. He who has blessed [all the blessings] of the musaf prayer, and [only] afterwards [obtained] a shofar, must blow [the sequence of] tekiah, teruah, and tekiah three times. Just like the [prayer leader] is obligated [to recite the prayers of the day for himself], so is every individual obligated [to do so]. Rabban Gamliel says, "The [prayer leader] releases the public from their obligation [by reciting the prayers out loud for them]."